Trump Org CFO Weisselberg is being sentenced to 5 months jail for massive tax fraud, of which he'll serve ~100 days on Rikers.
Kalief Browder suffered in Rikers for 700 days in solitary confinement on the false accusation he stole a backpack, then died by suicide.
Two Americas. And a reminder that a system cannot fail those it was never meant to protect, and that a system will always protect those it was never meant to fail.
OTD in 1961 white supremacists rioted because two Black students—Charlayne Hunter & Hamilton Holmes—registered at University of Georgia.
They didn't riot because they were denied rights, education, or justice—but because Black people wanted equality.
Mr. Holmes became Dr. Holmes and passed away in 1995. And Ms. Hunter became a world class journalist and is still with us today.
This isn't ancient history, it's contemporary reality.
Something too on the nose about McCarthy finally winning the Speaker vote—not because enough people voted for him—but because he prevented enough votes against him.
Another reminder that the GOP knows they can’t win on candidate popularity so they run & win on voter suppression.
#SpeakerVote
Here's some New Years perspective to start your 2023.
Barbara Walters, Anne Frank, & Martin Luther King, Jr. were all born in 1929. Yet while we were just with Ms. Walters days ago, those two icons are portrayed as ancient history.
But the ideals they fought for weren't in some distant past—they're a contemporary reality we must continue to fight for today. We control that narrative. Let’s keep fighting for that justice in 2023 & beyond.
Remember, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
Short rant.
Southwest Air has cancelled ~70% of its flights in an epic meltdown this holiday season.
Remember, Southwest took $3.7B in federal aid from 2020-21.
It’s CEO got a pay raise to a $9.1M package in 2022.
Yet Southwest employees are working 16 hour shifts & threatened w/termination if they refuse overtime or call in sick.
Socialism for the wealthy. Capitalism for workers.
Stop trusting billionaires. Start holding them accountable. And start protecting workers.
End Rant.
Actual conversation I had…
Me: Billionaire philanthropy is nothing more than PR. Tax billionaires.
Troll: Lol you trust the Govt to spend our money?
Me: Yes, the Govt is elected by We the People, and therefore is accountable to us and can be voted out.
Troll: Govt is bought.
Me: Bought by who?
Troll: By billionai—...😳
Me: ...🤔
Troll: Ok, Tax billionaires.
Throughout Mariupol, Russian workers are tearing down bombed-out buildings at a rate of at least one a day, hauling away shattered bodies with the debris. Russian military convoys are rumbling down the broad avenues of what is swiftly becoming a garrison city, and Russian soldiers, builders, administrators and doctors are replacing the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have died or left.
For thousands of years, fermenting beer was considered a household task for #women.
By the Middle Ages, some sold beer at English markets. Female brewers wore tall, pointy hats to be easily spotted. They stood by cauldrons & often had cats to keep mice away.
Sound familiar? It should.
You see, when male brewers felt threatened, they accused the women of witchcraft. These rumors may have led to some witch iconography we still recognize today.
https://theconversation.com/women-used-to-dominate-the-beer-industry-until-the-witch-accusations-started-pouring-in-155940 #history #HistoryRemix
Qasim Rashid, Esq.
Kashmir Hill
Sheril Kirshenbaum